RICHLAND, MI -- Harry Fest has moved to a new month and venue. But it's still a bit country, a bit rock, and all heart.

Palm Bay, Fla., band Bullet Theory will do '90s rock at Harry Fest. They, with six southwest Michigan rock and country bands will help raise funds at the Blackhawk's Stagecoach Barn Sept. 21.Courtesy photo

The ninth annual Harry Fest has moved from May to Sept. 21, and from the Bittersweet Ski Resort to the Blackhawk's Stagecoach Barn in Richland.

They needed an indoor venue and a better time of the year, Harry Stout Foundation president Matt Adams said, since bad weather made a couple springs "kind of tough for us."

In spite of past rains, the festival has helped raise over $150,000 for local causes. The non-profit Harry Stout Foundation, formed in the memory of a Plainwell seventh grader who died unexpectedly in 2004, has donated this money for local scholarships, school band and athletic equipment, shoes for disadvantaged children and help for families dealing with medical expenses.

This year the fest will also donate proceeds to the Wes Leonard Heart Team, to help get AEDs (automated external defibrillators, devices for emergency cardiac diagnoses and defibrillation) into schools.

Wes Leonard was the Fennville basketball player who died after making a game-winning basket for the Blackhawks in March 2011. "Wes' story is pretty similar to Harry's story, in that he had an undetected cardiac issue, and passed unexpectedly," Adams said.

It happened at the beginning of the Plainwell Middle School's basketball season. "The boys had all been together, coming into their own as far as sports go," Adams said. "Then we had this tragedy with Harry."

The exact cause is unknown, but it's believed that he died, in part, due to an enlarged heart.

Since Harry was the kind of kid who would -- and did -- save his allowance to buy shoes for a less-fortunate friend, his father Joe Stout, family and members of the Plainwell community formed the non-profit to keep on giving

"We've got a good group of people who're passionate about remembering Harry. It really gives the community a chance to come together," Adams said.

So, with the motto "eat, drink and be Harry," they continue the fund-raising fest. Seven rock and country bands will play, followed by the Harry Stout All Star Jam. There will be games, an auction, and an all-you-can-eat outdoor BBQ will be available 5 to 10 p.m. for all attendees.